November 2008
You'll Never Walk Alone*
Alvah Parker is a Career Coach who works with clients who are ready for a career change either because they are bored in their current job, ready to retire and find more meaningful work, or eager to find their life's calling to add passion to their current job. She helps her clients find work that is more meaningful and a true reflection of their values and behavioral style. Alvah has developed a unique Value Program designed to uncover the client's strengths, values and style. Another aspect of Alvah's work with clients is finding the client's life purpose. Alvah is an Authorized Life Blueprint® Facilitator and uses Laura Berman Fortgang's Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction Program . In addition Alvah offers follow up job search strategy sessions with clients after they have completed the Value Program and/or the Now What? Program.
*Title of a song from Carousel by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein**
Thank you for passing this newsletter on to others with an interest in career enhancement and advancement. If you received this from a colleague and want to subscribe, please go to http://www.asparker.com/samples.html to sign up for a free subscription and TruValues assessment. Please watch for your confirmation email to insure delivery of Road to Success and Parker's Points
**The use of song titles is my way of expressing my love of music and musical theater. Each time I come up with a title I rediscover a song I love.
One Day More*
10 Signs of an Impending Layoff
Many people are in denial about layoffs. There are many clues that one is coming but often people just choose to ignore the signs. Forewarned is forearmed. If you notice several of these signs in the place that you work, it is time to get your resume ready and identify your network. Here are the signs to look for:
- Listen to the rumor mill. In all the time I worked for AT&T the rumor mill was more accurate than what my boss was telling me. Either he/she was in denial too or he was spouting the company line as he/she had been told to do.
- Everyone is asked to apply for his/her job again. This one caught me by surprise when it happened. It might be good practice for what you will have to do if you are laid off but when it happens it is very upsetting. It also indicates that someone is questioning the value of the people in your unit/department/firm. (Always know the value you bring to your work- a coach can help you to identify it.)
- Projects you have been working on are postponed or cancelled. Nothing seems to be moving forward. Email and calls about the projects have stopped even if no one has officially told you that the project has been cancelled.
- The company has a hiring freeze. These happen frequently and don't always mean a layoff but it is one of the first indicators that the business is not growing.
- The company is aggressively cutting budgets. You've been told not to send anyone to training and not to travel. This also frequently happens at the end of the year but if you are told not to schedule any training or travel after January that is clearly a sign that the expectation is that business will continue to be bad.
- Press reports are bad. Reports in the newspaper and from analysts say the company is not meeting its goals, orders have dried up, and management is in a series of "strategic" meetings.
- Steady flow of managers leaving. Several managers on the executive level are leaving the company to "pursue other interests". This happens occasionally when business is good but if there are groups of managers leaving you can be sure that there is a problem.
- The company announces a salary freeze. You are told there will be no increases in salary until further notice. Bonuses dry up too.
- There are layoffs announced for the support staff. Support staff members are often the first to go. Those who contribute directly to the bottom line are less likely to be laid off than those who are viewed as an expense.
- Routine expenses are cut. The supply closet is beginning to look bare and there is no money for pens, paper and paperclips. (You start bringing supplies from home!)
Here is an article on the same topic from the American Bar Association Journal: http://www.abajournal.com/weekly/when_the_boss_turns_quiet_warning_signs_of_a_layoff
* Song from the musical Les Miserables. Music by Claude Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer
Special Offer for November
It's Not "Just a Job" It's Your Career - 110 Powerful Tips to Keep Your Career Moving Forward
This e-book is written especially for those considering a career change or those wanting to find a new job. It contains 11 tip lists that I have written over the past 8 years along with some new comments and suggestions from me. The tips are practical and will keep you at the top of your profession.
People comment that the lists are:
- easy to read
- useful to job seekers and those currently working.
- a great resource for now and the future.
The cost of the e-book is $5.95 ($7.50 on my website). Along with the e-book you have the option of purchasing a half hour coaching session for the low introductory fee of $50, a $100 value if it were available. There is no option for single session coaching in my practice. This offer is for newsletter readers only.
To schedule your coaching session and to buy the e-book please send me an email at asparker@asparker.com with your name and telephone number. I'll call you to make the necessary arrangements and to answer any questions.
Be sure to check other offers for Career Changers.
Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Parker's Points is written by Alvah Parker who also writes Road to Success. Both publications are fr*e to subscribers who are interested in doing work that is fulfilling and profitable. The subscriber list to these publications is only used by Alvah Parker and is not sold or given to anyone else. If you are receiving this publication, it is because you subscribed to it. I do not send either publication to anyone who did not request it.
About Alvah Parker
Alvah Parker is a Career Transition Coach. An award winning Account Executive for AT&T, an AT&T Sales and Quality Manager, and now a career coach, Alvah has successfully coached clients to define and achieve their goals. Alvah is committed to helping clients find their purpose in life. Once her clients know that purpose they are better able to select a career, connect with their passion and select a job specialty that expresses that purpose. This leads to a really satisfying and meaningful work experience. Alvah specializes in working with people in transition who are interested in exploring new career options. Her coaching helps her clients to get clear about their vision and then design a plan and strategy for the future based on that vision. Alvah coaches her clients over the telephone. This means she can be reached from anywhere in the world. You can reach Alvah at 781-598-0388 or asparker@asparker.com.
Copyright © 2008 all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce or copy Parker's Points in its entirety including copyright and contact information.
|
